Some pigs are just prone to bladder sludge/stones, and there's not a whole lot you can do about it. You can reduce the amount of dietary calcium, but that's not a guarantee. Some pigs will form stones less than week after stone removal surgery.

What exactly do you feed her? What kind of pellets and how many? What kind of hay? Which veggies, and how much of each?

She is eating Oxbow Essentials adult guinea pig pellets, timothy hay from small pet select, daily leaf lettuce with cucumbers and sometimes a small tomato. I try to get a citrus fruit in there too since she won't do the vitamin C tablets. Sometimes she gets different veggies like yellow or orange peppers - she doesn't like the green or red. The vet put her on Trimeth sulfa antibiotic 2x a day .4 ml. Also added Tramadol 2x per day keeping her on the Metacam at .1 ml once a day. Follow up via telephone this Friday.

Niko is continuing to have pain with elimination - I cannot tell if it is with pooping or peeing or both = the other day the screaming was in short bursts every second for about 15 seconds with at about 15 min intervals. This happens frequently but then there is like an hour or two before it happens again. She isn't eating her pellets, but is eating veggies and drinking water. Her urine is smelling extremely foul, not fishy just a really bad smell. Her whole cage and her body smell like it too. Also I am noticing that when I pick her up and support her bum, there is pee on my hand. I am thinking she is becoming incontinent. Sometimes she has pink urine sometimes its clear - right now I have her on Tramadol 2x a day 15ml, .01ml Metacam and keeping her bum wiped with cold pressed coconut oil. She gets a salad a day that is green leaf lettuce, sprig of coriander, slice of cucumber, slice of green pepper and chopped celery. 1 slice of orange a day for vit. C. She is 5 years old. She is active sometimes other times she sits hunched over with her fur standing on end. I don't know what to do and this is months now that this is going on.

So update on Niko: We had her on an antibiotic for 14 days 2x a day and she really improved a lot. She was running around and acting like herself and greeting me, eating up her pellets and hay and bubbling around her cage. I have noticed lately that her bum is crusty and so I have continued with the organic pressed coconut oil which helps a little but that is all. I looked into urine scald and I think that may be what is happening. I am about to try to use an antiseptic skin cleanser that is Chlorhexidine Gluconate but it is not 2% - it only came in 4%. Forgive me but can someone help me to do the math of what amount I need to mix with water - I don't want it to hurt her! I am planning on doing this tonight and until I see improvement. I also have some desitin. ANY suggestions are helpful - thank you so much for being her for me all of these years!

Okay here is another update on Niko - she has had at least 3 "neurological" episodes where she was disoriented and seemed dizzy and unable to walk right. I am treating for mites with ivermectin. She is itching so bad that her skin is starting to flake regardless of the amount of coconut oil I am slathering with. She is starting to scratch to the point of bleeding. Any suggestions for skin care besides or including the coconut oil? I know to treat for once a week for several weeks and we are one week in.

What brand of ivermectin are you using? What is the strength? (either a percent or some number of milligrams or grams per milliliter). How much does the pig weigh? How often are you giving the treatment?

I got a new bottle of ivermectin 5mg per ml - I was just putting 1-2 drops (.1 ml ?) behind each ear and in between her shoulder blades. I also give her a bath before to get all the dead skin off and maybe some of the mites come off too (?) I use gorgeous guinea's shampoo - the gentle kind, and make sure she is dry and warm and has fresh clean fleece bedding in her cage. I did get some nutri-vet bitter bandage to wrap her because her side is getting bloody scabs from all her scratching. After reading about bandaging I am going to get some of the anti-stick gauze to put on over the wound just to make sure it doesn't get stuck to the bandage. She is eating her veggies like a champ, ate all her pellets and is eating hay like normal.

In a few cases, multiple treatments are done. Personally, I would go for more than the minimum if she is having such issues. You are treating all your guinea pigs for mites at the same time? Other guinea pigs can be carriers.

I did .1 cc and put drops behind each ear and in between her shoulder blades this afternoon. I will continue to do this every Saturday until some I see some improvement or I will take her to my vet.

I saw a product at a local tractor and feed store that says it is safe for Rabbits called MicrocynAH Wound and Skin Care. It is a spray that is good for abrasions, sores and irritation to the skin. Have you heard of this product? I wanted to try it but was afraid of harming my Niko. I just want her skin to feel better and the coconut oil doesn't seem to be helping.